LONDON - A British athlete who tried to pay the costs of his Olympic preparations by selling himself on an online auction site has found a sponsor at last.
Sprinter James Ellington thought he had succeeded in covering the travel, accommodation and kit costs for the London Games when he received a 35,000 ($52,000) offer on eBay.
It turned out to be a hoax but a shaving product manufacturer has stepped in to sponsor the 26-year-old Londoner.
``Going on eBay gave me amazing exposure but unfortunately the winning bidder wasn't genuine,'' Ellington said yesterday. ``I couldn't be happier that the deal has been sorted.
``Now I can focus on winning a medal for Britain in the 2012 Olympics.''
Ellington ran the third leg as Britain won gold in the 4x100 relay at the European Team Championship last year, but a string of injury problems meant that he missed out on major sponsorship deals.
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